Green process of biomass waste derived fluorescent carbon quantum dots for biological imaging in vitro and in vivo

In the context of the circular economy, the huge amounts of biomass waste should be converted into value-added materials and energy to diminish pollution, atmospheric CO₂ levels and costly waste disposal. Biological imaging usually uses expensive and toxic chemicals e.g., organic dyes, semiconductor quantum dots, calling for safer, greener, cheaper fluorescent probes for biological imaging in vitro and in vivo. In these regards, carbon quantum dots (CQDs)-based fluorescent probes using biomass waste as a precursor may have much higher potential. Here we transformed the biomass waste of peach leaves into value-added fluorescent CQDs through a low-cost and green one-step hydrothermal process. The obtained CQDs show excitation-dependent photoluminescence properties with a fluorescence lifetime of 5.96 ns and a quantum yield of 7.71% without any passivation. In addition, the CQDs have a fine size of 1.9 nm with good hydrophilicity and high fluorescent stability over pH 4.0–11.0 range. Fluorescence imaging of in vitro cell cultures and in vivo with zebrafish show that CQDs possess ultra-low toxicity and remarkable performance for biological imaging. Even when CQDs present at a concentration as high as 500 µg/mL, the organism can still maintain more than 90% activity both in vitro and in vivo, and present bright fluorescence. The cheaper, greener, ultra-low toxicity CQDs developed in this work is a potential candidate for biological imaging in vitro and in vivo.     

Kilogram-scale synthesis of carbon quantum dots for hydrogen evolution,sensing and bioimaging

A facile, low-cost, green, kilogram-scale synthesis of high quality CQDs were synthesized. The throughput of CQDs is 1.4975 kg in one pot and the as-prepared CQDs have a highly crystalline hexagonal structure with remarkable solubility, stability, and biocompatibility. It showed outstanding electrocatalytic activity, Fe³⁺ sensitivity and good biocompatibility.     

Fabrication of carbon quantum dots via ball milling and their application to bioimaging

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with an average diameter of 3 nm, exhibiting blue photoluminescence, have been obtained from commercial conductive carbon black by a cost-effective and straightforward exfoliation method using dry ball milling in the presence of sodium carbonate. As a secondary abrasive medium, sodium carbonate provides effective exfoliation of carbon black with a high degree of CQD graphitization and plays an essential role in the functionalization of CQDs with oxygen groups. Due to the low toxicity of CQDs against HeLa cancer cells (cell viability above 90% at a CQD concentration of 200 μg cm⁻³) and the ability to penetrate cells and emit blue light, CQDs are possibly suitable for biological imaging of cells.     

Kilogram-scale synthesis of carbon quantum dots for hydrogen evolution,sensing and bioimaging

The development of large-scale synthetic methods for high quality carbon quantum dots (CQDs) is fundamental to their applications. However, the macroscopic preparation and scale up synthetic of CQDs is still in its infancy. Here, we report a facile, green, kilogram-scale synthesis of high quality fluorescent CQDs derived from poplar leaves via a one-step hydrothermal method. Notably, the throughput of CQDs can reach a level up to as high as 1.4975 kg in one pot. The structure and properties of the as-prepared CQDs were assessed through TEM, XRD, XPS and various spectroscopic methods. The obtained high quality CQDs with a photoluminescent quantum yield of 10.64% showed remarkable stability in aqueous media, rich functional groups, high photostability, consistent photoluminescence within biological pH range and low cytotoxicity. On account of these good properties, we demonstrated the multifunctional application to electrocatalytic water splitting, Fe³⁺ sensing and bioimaging. It showed remarkable electrocatalytic activity, Fe³⁺ sensitivity and good biocompatibility. This study provides a green, facile, inexpensive and large-scale method for producing high quality CQDs, which provides application value for large-scale production of CQDs.     

Synthesis and surface photochemistry of graphitized carbon quantum dots

Graphitized carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal process with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the starting material and nitric acid as surface oxidant. The photoluminescent quantum yield (QY) of CQDs could be greatly enhanced through surface esterification with glycol. Based on the structure characterization, we proposed that the CQDs consisted of the stack of graphene sheets sized several nanometers and their excitation-dependent photoluminescence (PL) should be attributed to the n→π* transition of CO bond of surface carboxylic groups. And the PL of CQDs was obviously enhanced by the esterification of carboxylic groups, possibly due to the increase of the molecular coplanarity or the rigidity.     

Multifarious roles of carbon quantum dots in heterogeneous photocatalysis

As a new member of carbon material family, carbon quantum dots(CQDs) have attracted tremendous attentions for their potentials in the heterogeneous photocatalysis applications. Due to the unique microstructure and optical properties, the roles of CQDs played in the CQDs-based photocatalytic systems have been found to be diverse with the continuous researches in this regard. Herein, we provide a concise minireview to elaborate the multifarious roles of CQDs in photocatalysis, including photoelectron mediator and acceptor, photosensitizer, photocatalyst, reducing agent for metal salt, enhancing adsorption capacity and spectral converter. In addition, the perspectives on future research trends and challenges are proposed, which are anticipated to stimulate further research into this promising field on designing a variety of efficient CQDs-based photocatalysts for solar energy conversion.     

Carbon quantum dots from natural resource: A review

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are a new class of fluorescence small carbon nanoparticles with a particle size of less than 10 nm and have vast applications in the field of bioimaging, biosensing and disease-detection. These are promising materials for nano-biotechnology since it has smaller particle size, excellent biocompatibility and excitation wavelength dependent photoluminescence (PL) behavior, photo induced electron transfer, chemical inertness and low toxicity. These materials have excellent fluorescent properties such as broad excitation spectra, narrow and tunable emission spectra, and high photostability against photo bleaching and blinking than other fluorescent semiconductor quantum dots. This review article demonstrate the recent progress in the synthesis, functionalization and technical applications of carbon quantum dots using electrochemical oxidation, combustion/thermal, chemical change, microwave heating, arc-discharge, and laser ablation methods from various natural resources. Natural carbon sources are used for the preparation of CQDs due to its low cost, environmental friendly and widely available.     

Anticancer and microbicide action of carbon quantum dots derived from microcrystalline cellulose: Hydrothermal versus infrared assisted techniques

Urgent requirement for medication from cancer diseases and different microbial infections is interestingly considered. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) as environmentally friendly fluorescent carbon nano-functionalized materials are popularly considered for application in medical purposes. Herein, a comparative study is presented for the affinity of CQDs ingrained from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) prepared under hydrothermal conditions (CQDs-HT) versus that prepared under infrared assisted technique (CQDs-IR) for acting as anticancer and antimicrobial laborers. The estimated size averages for the obtained CQDs-HT & CQDs-IR were 7.8 & 9.8 nm, respectively. CQDs-HT showed rationally higher anti-proliferative action against Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HepG2) compared to CQDs-IR. Treatment with 1000 μg/mL of CQDs-IR & CQDs-HT exhibited 78 & 90 % mortality percentage of cancer cells, respectively. The obtained CQDs showed excellent microbicide potentiality and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) from the synthesized CQDs-TH and CQDs-IR was ranged in 100–350 µg/mL and 300–400 µg/mL against different pathogens including bacteria and fungi, respectively. As a conclusion, hydrothermal technique showed seniority over infrared assisted technique in nucleation of CQDs with higher anticancer and microbicidal activities.     

Synthesis of carbon quantum dots for DNA labeling and its electrochemical,fluorescent and electrophoretic characterization

Nanoparticles as a progressively developing branch offer a tool for studying the interaction of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with DNA. In this study, fluorescent CQDs were synthesized using citric acid covered with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the source of carbon precursors. Furthermore, interactions between CQDs and DNA (double-stranded DNA and single-stranded DNA) were investigated by spectral methods, gel electrophoresis, and electrochemical analysis. Primarily, the fluorescent behavior of CQDs in the presence of DNA was monitored and major differences in the interaction of CQDs with tested single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) were observed at different amounts of CQDs (µg mL^?1: 25, 50, 100, 250, 500). It was found that the interaction of ssDNA with CQDs had no significant influence on the CQDs fluorescence intensity measured at the excitation wavelengths of 280 nm, 350 nm, and 400 nm. However, in the presence of dsDNA, the fluorescence intensity of CQDs was significantly increased. Our results provide basic understanding of the interaction between CQDs and DNA. Such fabricated CQDs-DNA might be of great benefit for the emerging nanomaterials based biosensing methods.     

Enhanced photocatalytic performance of carbon quantum dots/BiOBr composite and mechanism investigation

Novel CQDs/BiOBr composite photocatalysts are constructed via a simple hydrothermal synthesis and show superior activity in photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants.     

Fe2O3/carbon quantum dots complex photocatalysts and their enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light

In this study, we report the facile fabrication of Fe(2)O(3)/CQDs nanocomposites, and investigate their effective photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of toxic gas (gas-phase benzene and methanol) under visible light. The crucial roles of CQDs in the enhancement of photocatalytic activity of the Fe(2)O(3)/CQDs composites are illustrated.     

Photoluminescence of carbon quantum dots: coarsely adjusted by quantum confinement effects and finely by surface trap states

Photoluminescence (PL) mechanism of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) remains controversial up to now even though a lot of approaches have been made. In order to do that, herein a PL color ladder from blue to near infrared of CQDs with the absolute quantum yields higher than 70% were prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal synthesis route and separated by silica gel column. Time-correlated single photon counting measurements suggest that the electron transition takes in effect in the PL progress of the crystalline core-shell structured CQDs, and the PL properties could be coarsely adjusted by tuning the size of the crystalline carbon core owing to quantum confinement effects, and finely adjusted by changing the surface functional groups consisted shell owing to surface trap states, respectively. Both coarse and fine adjustments of PL, as optical and photoelectrical characterizations and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations have demonstrated, make it possible for top-level design and precise synthesis of new CQDs with specific optical properties.     

中温煤沥青基碳量子点的制备与结构解析

以中温煤沥青为碳源，采用HNO₃预处理结合球磨过程及双氧水氧化刻蚀的方法制备沥青基荧光碳量子点，以CQDs的收率和荧光量子产率为目标，获得最优制备条件：反应时间6 h、H₂O₂加入量100 mL （c-CQDs），此时，CQDs收率和荧光量子产率分别为6.3%和11.2%，且尺寸均匀、粒径分布在4-14 nm。延长反应时间至8 h （a-CQDs），碳量子点团聚；H₂O₂用量增加至120 mL （b-CQDs）则导致碳量子点氧化过度，颗粒小且杂乱无章。对不同条件下所制备的CQDs进行XPS、红外光谱、热重、¹³C NMR、Raman和晶相分析，探究反应条件对CQDs结构的影响规律。结果表明，就碳含量而言，a-CQDs > b-CQDs > c-CQDs，氧元素含量则为b-CQDs > c-CQDs > a-CQDs。各CQDs结构中C主要以芳碳形式存在，c-CQDs的C=O、O-C=O含量最高，而b-CQDs的C-O含量最高，¹³C NMR分析发现CQDs中表征平均芳环尺寸大小的X_b约为0.5，相应地，其平均芳环数约为3。     

Facile and one-step preparation carbon quantum dots from biomass residue and their applications as efficient surfactants

Using biomass residue as a source of carbon precursors, a pyrolysis method was used to prepare biomass-derived luminescent Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs). The prepared CQDs exhibited excellent fluorescence and luminescence properties and fluorescence behaviors of CQDs acquired at different pyrolysis temperatures varied. Importantly, the CQDs showed superior surface activity and the styrene-in-water Pickering emulsion prepared using the CQDs as nano-sized surfactant was highly stable: the higher the pyrolysis temperature the better the stability of the emulsion. In addition, there was no stratification found in the emulsion which was stabilized by the CQD500 (CQDs prepared at 500?°C) after holding for 72?hours. This research provided an approach for preparing the surfactants of nano-sized particles in large scale. The CQDs prepared using the proposed methods are expected to have a high number of potential applications.     

Compact cysteine-coated CdSe(ZnCdS) quantum dots for in vivo applications

We have developed a versatile nanoparticle construct using a compact cysteine coating on a CdSe(ZnCdS) core(shell) nanocrystal (QD-Cys) that is biologically compatible, exceptionally compact, highly fluorescent, and easily functionalized. The small hydrodynamic diameter of QD-Cys ( approximately 6 nm) allows for renal clearance of these nanoparticles in rat models. Moreover, the ability to directly conjugate to QD-Cys opens up the possibility of functionalized nanocrystals for in vivo targeted imaging, in which small targeting molecules can be appended to QD-Cys, and unbound QDs can be rapidly cleared to achieve high signal/noise ratios and to reduce background toxicity.     

Highly luminescent biocompatible carbon quantum dots by encapsulation with an amphiphilic polymer

Highly luminescent, water-soluble and biocompatible Carbon Quantum Dots (aqCQDs) were prepared by encapsulating the parent hydrophobic CQDs in an amphiphilic polymer. The resulting aqCQDs were non-toxic to living cells, and were found to cross the cell membrane and localise primarily in the cytosol.     

碳量子点上转换材料的制备及其应用研究进展

碳量子点(CQD)具有化学惰性,生物相容性和低毒性等优势,可能在能源、生物医药等领域得到广泛的应用. CQD可通过表面被聚合物(例如PEG)钝化而表现出很强的光致发光特性.在生物成像,疾病检测和药物输送中使用表面钝化后的功能化生物分子更为有效.并且碳材料由于其优异的电化学性能还展现出在催化、电子器件等许多领域广泛的应用前景.我们将对近年来碳量子点发光材料的研究进行总结,并讨论碳量子点在能源、环境和其他一些领域的应用.     

In vivo NIR imaging with CdTe/CdSe quantum dots entrapped in PLGA nanospheres

Luminescent near-infrared (NIR) CdTe/CdSe QDs were synthesized and encapsulated in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanospheres to prepare stable and biocompatible QDs-loaded nanospheres for in vivo imaging. QDs were encapsulated with PLGA nanospheres by a solid dispersion method and optimized to have high fluorescence intensity for in vivo imaging detection. The resultant QDs-loaded PLGA nanospheres were characterized by various analytical techniques such as UV-Vis measurement, dynamic light scattering (DLS), fluorescence spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Finally, we evaluated toxicity and body distribution of QDs loaded in PLGA nanospheres in vitro and in vivo, respectively. From the results, the QDs loaded in PLGA nanospheres were spherical and showed a diameter range of 135.0-162.3 nm in size. The QD nanospheres increased their stability against photooxidation and photobleaching, which have the high potential for applications in biomedical imaging. We have also attained non-invasive in vivo imaging with light photons, representing an intriguing avenue for obtaining biological information by the use of NIR light.     

Flexible all-biomass gas sensor based on doped carbon quantum dots/nonwoven cotton with discriminative function

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) co-doped with N, P and S derived from expired milk was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. By dipping pure cotton face towel (PCFT) into CQDs ink, a flexible all-biomass CQDs/PCFT sensor was prepared for the first time. Due to the heteroatom doping, extremely small particle size of CQDs and excellent permeability of CQDs/PCFT film, the flexible CQDs/PCFT sensor showed the high sensitivity and bending stability. In the range of 0–60° bending states, the responses of CQDs/PCFT sensor to four target analytes changed by less 5.0%. After 3000 bending of 60°, the maximum change of the response to the target analytes was only 6.4%. Interestingly, due to the abundant functional groups and defects of CQDs, the flexible CQDs/PCFT sensor displayed sensing curves of different shapes for different target analytes. In this way, by establishing a database of sensing curves of target analytes, multiple analytes can be detected discriminatively by relying only on single sensor with the help of image recognition. This work provided a reference for the development of cotton fiber based all biomass flexible gas sensor.

Graphical abstract

     

Multifunctional compact zwitterionic ligands for preparing robust biocompatible semiconductor quantum dots and gold nanoparticles

We describe the synthesis of a series of four different ligands which are used to prepare hydrophilic, biocompatible luminescent quantum dots (QDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Overall, the ligands are designed to be compact while still imparting a zwitterionic character to the NPs. Ligands are synthesized appended to a bidentate dihydrolipoic acid- (DHLA) anchor group, allowing for high-affinity NP attachment, and simultaneously incorporate tertiary amines along with carboxyl and/or hydroxyl groups. These are placed in close proximity within the ligand structure and their capacity for joint ionization imparts the requisite zwitterionic nature to the nanocrystal. QDs functionalized with the four different compact ligands were subjected to extensive physical characterization including surface charge, wettability, hydrodynamic size, and tolerance to a wide pH range or high salt concentration over time. The utility of the compact ligand coated QDs was further examined by testing of direct conjugation to polyhistidine-appended protein and peptides, aqueous covalent-coupling chemistry, and the ability to engage in F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Conjugating cell penetrating peptides to the compact ligand coated QD series facilitated their rapid and efficient cellular uptake, while subsequent cytotoxicity tests showed no apparent decreases in cell viability. In vivo biocompatibility was also demonstrated by microinjecting the compact ligand coated QDs into cells and monitoring their stability over time. Inherent benefits of the ligand design could be extended beyond QDs as AuNPs functionalized with the same compact ligand series showed similar colloidal properties. The strong potential of these ligands to expand NP capabilities in many biological applications is highlighted.